Gini Wijnaldum has warned his Newcastle United team-mates they must start turning performances into points, and admits the Magpies need something “badly” at West Brom today.

The United faithful did not react angrily after Tom Cleverley’s last-minute winner on Boxing Day against Everton and, despite seeing their team drop back into the bottom three, they still applauded the players off the field.

Wijnaldum feels Newcastle are giving the battling performances fans want to see, but with games running out he knows that won’t be enough in the second half of the season, with United still deep in trouble.

Wijnaldum told the Chronicle: “We need points. Everton were a really good team and we could see that, they have good players and that makes it difficult.

“The way we performed after that was good, but we must start winning games.

“We will if we play like we did in the second half against Everton.

“But we need points badly now otherwise it will be tough at the end (of the season).

“We can make it way more easy for ourselves if we start winning.”

And when asked on the response of the fans at the end of the clash with Everton, Wijnaldum said: “They want to see us fighting to get a good result.

“That’s what they saw against Everton. I think at the end of the game they supported us.

“We need to get that at the end of every game.

“It’s only fair that we give everything to try to win the game.

“It is strange to say that I am happy with the fans after we lost, but it was a good feeling to get that at the end of the game.”

Wijnaldum, though, said the way Newcastle lost against Everton was nothing short of gut wrenching.

He added: “If they had scored earlier in the second half then it’s different.

“It makes it hard when it’s the last moments and just before that there were two magnificent blocks.

“Then they score late on. It just shows it takes 95 minutes focus to even get a draw in the Premier League.